What’s MTS and M2TS File? And What’s the Difference between Them?

What are MTS and M2TS?

Both MTS and M2TS are file extensions for AVCHD(Advanced Video Codec High Definition) videos. AVCHD is a kind of high definition disc compression technology established by Sony Corporation and Panasonic Corporation in 2006. It is mainly applied in their HD digital camcorders. And other brands such as Canon, JVC and Samsung now also use the MTS file format. The MTS and M2TS formats encode video in the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec, and audio in Dolby AC-3 codec. And they all support 480i, 720p, 1080i, 1080p HD video format.

What’s the difference between MTS and M2TS?

Before the recorded HD videos are collected, the format they display on the AVCHD digital camcorders are MTS. But after they are collected or upload to software, their extensions are changed to M2TS.

Although MTS and M2TS are different extensions for the same AVCHD video, they still has a slight difference. That is in the M2TS files, videos are saved in the high def Blu-ray BDAV format. The video data on the Blu-ray discs can be encoded in two different video codecs: MPEG2 and H.264. And the audio data can be even in five audio codecs: Dolby AC-3, MP2, DTS, AAC or linear PCM 7.1.

Why do people convert MTS files?

The definition of MTS format can reach 1920*1080 Full HD standard which means a extremely high image quality. Just because the high image quality, the size of a MTS file is always much larger than a normal format video. Sometimes, a video only has several minutes can reach as large as 1GB. However, as the capacity limitation of the computer hard drive, the MTS files can not be stored easily. Also, the present internet does not support the MTS files spreading. So the purpose of converting MTS format to DVD, AVI, RMVB, MPG, and other mainstream video formats is to make the large size videos become smaller size and easy-to-store formats.

For example, converting MTS to VOB format, thus you can burn the recorded videos on DVD discs and play them through DVD players; converting MTS to MP4, to AVI, to 3GP, then you can watch MTS files on mobile phones, MP4 players, iPod, PSP, iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices.